Medical The Experience of Drowning

[Nemrod]

About 7 months ago I had an IPE and began to hyperventilate at about 70 feet. I knew I wasnt right, but made a controlled ascent to 15 feet for a safety stop. My wife always says "Don't drown." The idea of it scares the hell out of me. At about 55 seconds into the safety stop I thought "If something bad is going to happen to me its going to happen to me on the surface." I made it to the surface and was literally exhausted. I inflated my BC and began to cough up blood. By the grace of god and a helicopter ride I made it out of the hospital in a couple of days. It could have been worse, but it was going to happen above the water!!

IPE is kind of a mysterious thing. Unlike the above stories and info you were not drowning due to aspirated water but your own fluid collecting in your lungs. I first became aware of this phenomena many years ago when I was doing triathlon in a serious way. I knew a fellow, well, a friend, who had a pretty serious IPE event during a triathlon. It seems to be prevalent among snorkelers also. I often wonder if IPE can be triggered by breathing restriction. I swim laps, usually three to five miles per week and I sometimes develop a cough after a long swim. A swimmer's lungs are submerged and to breath must rotate and slightly lift the head to clear the mouth to get a breath, therefore there is a water column differential between between the mouth and the center of the lungs. Same with a snorkeler but even more so and perhaps a diver with a regulator that has a high WOB, high cracking effort and poor Venturi assist results in an unnatural breathing condition, higher than normal inspiration effort/suction. I think I have noted this in mild form when diving with a DH regulator where the diaphragm is well above the center of the lungs thus a considerable and unnatural water column pressure differential and a persistent cough afterwards.

I wonder, if you recall, did you have the regulator set to pre-dive? Was the regulator cracking effort knob turned in? Was the regulator performing correctly and good Venturi assist?

Immersion Pulmonary Edema (IPE)

This diver experienced classic symptoms of immersion pulmonary edema (IPE). IPE has been reported in warm water and with immersed activity of varying exertion.

dan.org

 

[dmaziuk]

... I swim laps, usually three to five miles per week and I sometimes develop a cough after a long swim. A swimmer's lungs are submerged and to breath must rotate and slightly lift the head to clear the mouth to get a breath, therefore there is a water column differential between between the mouth and the center of the lungs.

I would blame the moisture first, especially in winter, unless you're swimming laps at the triathlon-level intensity. The idea is moisture helps dislodge the mucus in the airways and then the normal coughing reflex kicks in to expel it.

Google "saline nebulizer" and you'll find something along these lines:

Saline solution is often used in respiratory therapy for several reasons. One of its primary functions is to moisten dry airways. For individuals suffering from conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or cystic fibrosis, dry airways can exacerbate symptoms and lead to discomfort. Nebulizing saline can help alleviate these symptoms by providing hydration directly to the lungs.

Moreover, saline can aid in clearing mucus. When respiratory conditions lead to mucus buildup, it can obstruct airflow and make breathing difficult. Inhaling saline mist helps thin the mucus, making it easier to expel through coughing. This process not only improves comfort but also enhances lung function.

 

[nldunn]

IPE is kind of a mysterious thing. Unlike the above stories and info you were not drowning due to aspirated water but your own fluid collecting in your lungs. I first became aware of this phenomena many years ago when I was doing triathlon in a serious way. I knew a fellow, well, a friend, who had a pretty serious IPE event during a triathlon. It seems to be prevalent among snorkelers also. I often wonder if IPE can be triggered by breathing restriction. I swim laps, usually three to five miles per week and I sometimes develop a cough after a long swim. A swimmer's lungs are submerged and to breath must rotate and slightly lift the head to clear the mouth to get a breath, therefore there is a water column differential between between the mouth and the center of the lungs. Same with a snorkeler but even more so and perhaps a diver with a regulator that has a high WOB, high cracking effort and poor Venturi assist results in an unnatural breathing condition, higher than normal inspiration effort/suction. I think I have noted this in mild form when diving with a DH regulator where the diaphragm is well above the center of the lungs thus a considerable and unnatural water column pressure differential and a persistent cough afterwards.

I wonder, if you recall, did you have the regulator set to pre-dive? Was the regulator cracking effort knob turned in? Was the regulator performing correctly and good Venturi assist?

Immersion Pulmonary Edema (IPE)

This diver experienced classic symptoms of immersion pulmonary edema (IPE). IPE has been reported in warm water and with immersed activity of varying exertion.

dan.org

Is this related to the weird feeling you can get in your chest after a day in the water? It feels tight to breathe and odd. I can't explain it better than that! Thanks!

 

[CG43]

I'm not a doctor and I never have experienced IPE .
However, I know a similar feeling when boats are sprayed with a high-pressure water cleaner in cold air and the air is full of water particles.
My speculation , and I have no proof of this , is that water particles of a certain size can penetrate deep into the airways because they are too small to separate from the air in the throat, but too large to evaporate quickly.
If this is the case, water in the lungs can also come from outside , which then feels similar to IPE.
When swimming through extensive breathing at the air/waterline, when diving through the snorkel or a wet regulator.
Overall, I don't think this is very likely, but a reg. is easy to check.

 

[Nemrod]

Is this related to the weird feeling you can get in your chest after a day in the water? It feels tight to breathe and odd. I can't explain it better than that! Thanks!

I cannot answer that. Diving does place stresses on our circulatory system and lungs and muscles that is somewhat different from land based activities. And, most of us anyways, do not get to dive regularly enough for our bodies to adapt. I suspect your chest tightness is simply a result of not being in dive shape and not diving regularly enough. If you think it more than that then see a doctor, otherwise carry on. If you are not doing some aerobic exercise regularly, do so. It pays dividends for diving.

 

[nldunn]

I cannot answer that. Diving does place stresses on our circulatory system and lungs and muscles that is somewhat different from land based activities. And, most of us anyways, do not get to dive regularly enough for our bodies to adapt. I suspect your chest tightness is simply a result of not being in dive shape and not diving regularly enough. If you think it more than that then see a doctor, otherwise carry on. If you are not doing some aerobic exercise regularly, do so. It pays dividends for diving.

Thanks!! I'm not in shape now but I always was in shape as a kid and this would happen more when I was a kid. I never knew what this odd feeling was.

 

[dmaziuk]

Thanks!! I'm not in shape now but I always was in shape as a kid and this would happen more when I was a kid. I never knew what this odd feeling was.

FWIW I get the tight-to-breathe feeling right after surfacing when the reg stops blowing air into me and I have to go back using my own breathing muscles: they don't seem to like the idea of going back to work. It passes in a minute or two though.

I don't recall ever feeling that as a kid, but I swam through school. As in Olympic-size pool, head coach a former European champ., mom had to talk them into enrolling me because I wasn't yet 6 on September 1st when the enrollments normally end: that kind of "swam".

 

[OTF]

"it causes approximately 1000 deaths a day worldwide" is a remarkable stat.